A welcome reissue of Clientelle’s sole album from the early 1980s – Destination Unknown. It’s New Wave of British Heavy Metal though not as we know it. Something a little different though oh so good.
Cleintelle hailed from St. Albans. The usual template of the time was followed. Lots of gigging and building up a local following leading to a well-received single and shortly afterwards a largely self-financed album in 1981 before the band faded away.
They were not what one might call “normal” NWOBHM. At the time a local newspaper described Clientelle as “hard rockers with a pop edge”. That’s sort of true to an extent, however there’s more to it that that as the band had some definite progressive leanings too not unlike Wishbone Ash and even a twang of Rush.
Those hard rockers with a pop edge are a bit punky too. Frantic fast paced riffage with an urgent drumming, pumping bass lines, venomous vocals and very tasty, muscular yet fluid guitar breaks packing much in to three or four minutes.
Take for example Play to Win and the straight ahead rocker of My Lady. And in with the power-pop there’s a nice catchy melody going to as well. As there is with the spiky mid-section of Can’t Forget.
The title track – Destination Unknown – shows those prog influences. A sublime atmospheric affair with some whooshes of synthesiser, hypnotic, simple bassline and wonderfully fluid guitar. Top stuff.
Nice Girl goes back to the heavy power-pop before in comes Skyflier seeing a return to the progressive style. This is an excellent song indeed with the changes of pace and some wonderful soaring guitar work. Reminds me somewhat of what Wishbone Ash might have done on New England. Have a listen:
Missing Persons is an interesting song then Bike provides more of that short, hard-hitting punchy, spiky style with some tongue in cheek lyrics.
Then the closing track – Missing Presumed Dead. An epic of around eight minutes. Tolkien-inspired lyrics, a Rush style akin to say Caress of Steel (think Necromancer) as it builds to an extended crescendo over the latter half of the song and the jaw-droppingly excellent extended guitar.
Heck, I’ll put the video of that below so you can hear for yourself.
Clientelle were too good to have just the one album before disappearing. Reading the liner notes it appears that a lack of management and promotion put an end to things.
Yes – they were a bit different to “traditional” NWOBHM though they could certainly pack a punch with the short, speedy stuff and stretch out in to the more ambitious stuff such as Destination Unknown, Skyflier and especially Missing Presumed Dead.
The re-issue is available in various formats. I bagged my CD from Sonic Age Records. It’s also available from the label’s Bandcamp page in other formats. Links to both below and a link to the band’s web site.
Sonic Age Records
https://sonicagerecords.com
Bandcamp:
https://jobcentrerejects.bandcamp.com/album/clientelle-destination-unknown
Clientelle Web Site:
https://www.clientelle.co.uk/